As you might have seen, I have recently been fixating on sugar free Ninja Creami recipes. I have posted a sugar free vanilla ice cream and a sugar free strawberry ice cream. Today I am completing the trifecta with this sugar free chocolate ice cream.
Allulose is an artificial sweetener that performs similarly to sugar in frozen applications so it makes perfect sense to be our sweetener of choice here. It is combined with cocoa which is bloomed with boiling water for a rich chocolate flavour. Next, we’re adding thickened cream and a pinch of salt before freezing. Simple!
Working with allulose in ice cream recipes
Allulose performs similarly to sugar in ice cream but it is not exactly the same. In my experience, there is a limit to how much allulose you can add to an ice cream before it fails to set (which is the same as sugar). For a 470ml Ninja Creami tub, I recommend a maximum of 110g allulose, depending a little on the specific recipe in question. Interestingly, my strawberry ice cream recipe can take up to 125g allulose.
If you want to play with adding a little extra allulose, be my guest. Factor in time to return the mixture to the freezer after processing the ice cream. It will never firm up to a solid consistency like traditional ice cream does, but it will firm up enough. Interestingly, I find that sugar free chocolate ice cream is immediately scoopable even after weeks in the freezer. No need to re-spin leftovers which is nice!
Because allulose ice cream doesn’t set as easily, I highly recommend factoring in extra chill time before and after processing, particularly in summer. In fact, if you live somewhere particularly hot and humid I would be inclined to suggest that you cap the allulose at 100g and use stevia to achieve your desired sweetness.
The other things I have noticed pertain to texture. A sugar free ice cream made with allulose tends to have a grittier looking texture – but don’t worry, that is only visual. It also melts in an intriguingly different way when compared to traditional ice cream.
Notes on the sweetness
This ice cream recipe is perfectly sweet for me, but I know that some people have sweeter teeth than I do. As discussed, you cannot add unlimited allulose without creating a mixture that physically cannot set. So, we have two secret weapons up our sleeve: lactose free thickened cream (full fat, although light does work) and vanilla bean extract.
Even if you are not lactose free, I recommend using lactose free thickened cream if you can. Why? The lactase enzyme converts lactose into galactose which tastes sweet. We are limited by how much allulose we can add to the ice cream, so we’re boosting the sweetness in other ways.
The extra bump of sweetness in lactose free cream gives us a bit extra, as does a bit of vanilla bean extract. You might not think that vanilla bean extract belongs in chocolate ice cream, but I find it adds nuanced flavour and helps with the sweetness levels.
If you have a super sweet tooth and this isn’t enough, I would recommend stevia drops. Stevia has no impact on the freezing point of your ice cream, so you can add some extra sweetness without drastically changing the ice cream consistency.
Tips for this recipe
- I recommend only stirring the mixture gently as opposed to whisking it. In my experience, the bloomed cocoa mixture froths up very easily and takes a while to recede. This means you’re pouring a bubbly mixture into your Ninja Creami container which makes it look fuller than it is. I have processed bubbly mixtures with no issues, but you might prefer not to.
- Salt and vanilla add a lovely layer of flavour here. I have also tried 20ml (1 tablespoon) of espresso but found that a little overpowering. Good if you want a mocha vibe though.
- This recipe has only been tested with 100% powdered allulose granules – not liquid allulose, not lankanto and not other artifical sweeteners. You are welcome to experiment but I can’t guarantee the result. I have not tested an allulose monkfruit hybrid either.
- Onto an important consideration: the vanilla extract. While pure vanilla extract generally contains alcohol and vanilla beans, many supermarket brands in Australia contain sugar. Make sure you read the labels and choose a pure vanilla extract to ensure you are not adding sugar to your ice cream.
Notes on the cream
- Thickened cream in Australia is generally 35% milk fat. You cannot just use any cream you have lying around as the fat percentage of a Ninja Creami ice cream is important. Too little fat and you may end up with an icy, sorbet style ice cream. Too much fat and the mixture has a tendency to split and become gritty as well coating the roof of your mouth.
- Thickened cream might be called heavy cream in the USA. Aim for a milk fat percentage as close to 35% as possible.
- In the UK and sometimes in Europe, thickened cream might be called whipping cream. I don’t recommend double cream here as the fat percentage is too high.
- I haven’t tested a vegan cream alternative in this recipe. It is on my list of things to do and I will update the post when I have.
More Ninja Creami recipes
- Ninja Creami protein ice cream recipe e-book
- Ninja Creami coconut ice cream
- Ninja Creami açai bowl
- Ninja Creami sticky date protein ice cream
- Ninja Creami sweet potato ice cream
Sugar free chocolate ice cream (Ninja Creami)
Equipment
- NC300 Ninja Creami machine with 470ml size tubs
Ingredients
- 20 g Dutch processed cocoa powder
- 100 g pure powdered allulose
- Pinch of fine salt
- 150 g boiling water
- 250 g lactose free full fat thickened cream (see notes)
- 1/2 – 1 teaspoon sugar free vanilla extract (optional, see notes)
- Stevia drops, as needed to sweeten (see notes)
Instructions
- Whisk the cocoa powder, allulose and fine salt together in a medium heatproof bowl. Pour over the boiling water to bloom the cocoa and dissolve the allulose. Stir or whisk gently to prevent the mixture becoming too foamy.
- Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Don't worry if there are a few little lumps of cocoa in the mixture – they will smooth out during processing. Stir until the mixture is combined and a medium chocolate colour. Taste it and add some stevia drops as needed to reach your desired sweetness – see notes in the body of the post about working with allulose (you can't add too much or the mixture won't freeze).
- Pour the mixture into your 470ml Ninja Creami tub and freeze with the lid off for 24 hours. Leaving the lid off as the mixture freezes can help prevent the mixture developing a hump in the centre which can damage your machine.
- After 24 hours, process your mixture using the ice cream function. It should come out nicely on the first spin, and in fact I often recommend factoring in 30-60 minutes chilling time after processing with allulose recipes to get the perfect texture. Return leftovers to the freezer with a lid on.
Notes
- Read the body of the post for tips on working with allulose. You cannot simply add as much allulose as your tastebuds dictate – over about 110g allulose results in an ice cream that cannot physically freeze. This means you will end up with a chocolate milkshake consistency.
- I recommend using full fat lactose free thickened cream. Lactose free cream tastes sweeter than regular cream which means we are boosting the sweetness without affecting the freezing point.
- If the ice cream is still not sweet enough, use stevia drops. Stevia doesn’t change the freezing point of your ice cream so you can add it to taste.
- Thickened cream is 35% fat. In other countries, it might be called heavy cream or whipping cream. Choose a cream with 30-35% milk fat for best results. Cream with too much fat (double or dollop) will result in an ice cream that coats the roof of your mouth and has an unpleasant texture.
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